Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

byAllison (AllureofBooks)onFebruary 4, 2011

Summary:

Minerva Dobbs knows all about risk management, which is why it’s such a shock when David, her extremely logical choice for a boyfriend, dumps her three weeks before her perfect sister’s wedding: David was not supposed to be a wild card. So when Min overhears David make a bet with his old nemesis–the gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey–that Cal can’t get Min into bed in a month, she decides that fate has just handed her a stacked deck: she can make Cal sweat his sex appeal and get a date to the wedding, if she plays along and doesn’t fold.

What follows is a novel of destiny, chaos theory, Kripy Kreme donuts, the spirit of Elvis, Chicken Marsala, and a gamble for the highest stake of all: true love. (via Goodreads)

My Review:

If I had to chose a book to be my best friend, I’d choose Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. I have read it many times. If something horrible is going on in my life, you can bet that it won’t be long before I pick up my (rather worn) copy of this. If I have a few unexpected days off (like say, during the recent snow storm)…this is the comfort read I’ll be sinking into.

Jennifer Crusie’s brand of humor is all her own. Every single character is infused with something that makes them feel so real – maybe that is why I love the book so much. The characters feel more and more real every single time I read the book. Kinda like Harry Potter – every time I pick it up I feel like I’m visiting family.

Minerva Dobbs is probably the number one character I would choose to be friends with IRL. We have so much in common – she really does remind me of me in so many ways. Which is good, because I wouldn’t say no to a Cal if I happened to run into one…maybe she’ll bring me luck. I also love the way that she and her two best friends are complete opposites to the point that their personalities clash – that is how it is with me and my friends. We’re all so different, if we weren’t friends…we wouldn’t be friends. haha. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I bet you know what I mean.

Even though a lot of Bet Me is about Min and her “shortcomings” and her trying to come to terms with who she is versus what everyone else expects her to be…she is very confident. There is this great scene with Cal…they’re in the park…and they start talking about Elvis only to discover that she is talking Presley and he is talking Costello. She says something like “Good thing this isn’t a date, or we’d have a really awkward moment trying to come back from that one.” That scene always sticks with me as an example of being comfortable with yourself and just taking things as they come.

It has been so long since I read Bet Me for the first time that I don’t remember when, how or why I ended up with a copy…I just remember reading it three times in a row because I loved Min’s story so much. So if you’re a contemporary romance or chick-lit fan and you haven’t read Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie…do so immediately!

I'm not usually a reader of chick-lit, but the very occasional read works for me… Maybe I'll have to give this one a try. After all, if you're willing to be BFFs w/a book, it's gotta have something good going on.